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| Photo: Adobe |
Adobe has announced its latest updates for Photoshop, which it says aim to address common pain points for photographers and creatives. They include a few new tools, launching as betas, and improvements to the remove tool.
The most substantial new feature is Harmonize, which promises to make the process of creating composite photos easier and faster. The tool was first previewed as Project Perfect Blend at Adobe Max in October 2024, but it is now ready for testing in beta.
Harmonize uses Adobe Firefly to analyze new objects and the context of the original image. It then automatically adjusts the new object’s color, lighting and shadows to create a more natural composite image with a single click. Users will still need to adjust scale and perspective. Still, this tool could be a big time-saver for interior designers creating staged imagery, marketers creating campaign visuals or artists creating composites. Harmonize will be available in beta for Photoshop on Desktop and web, and in Early Access on mobile.
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The Generative Upscale feature promises sharp, clear results when upscaling images. Photo: Adobe |
Adobe has also introduced Generative Upscale, which it says has been one of the most requested updates from the community. It’s available in Photoshop beta on desktop and web and can increase image resolution up to eight megapixels. Adobe says it will make images look sharper and more detailed. That said, the team’s demo of upscaling an old, scanned photo of a couple showed quite a bit of smoothing on the skin and other features, giving it a rather AI-type look. However, its upscaling example of an AI-generated image showed more sharpness and detail.
Adobe has strong competition on this front, given that dedicated AI upscaling programs, such as Topaz Gigapixel AI, offer more settings and control. Still, it could be a good option for those who would like to keep all their editing work in one program and don’t need advanced control over upscaling.
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Adobe says the remove tool will provide better results in the new beta version. As you can see on the right hand side, though, it still may add new objects. Photo: Adobe |
The Remove Tool is also getting an update thanks to the latest Firefly model. Adobe explained that people have been using Generative Fill to remove things, but it wasn’t specifically designed for that, and it would often add random new objects as a result. However, the Remove Tool was designed explicitly for removing items, and Adobe says it won’t add new things as often as Generative Fill. That implies there will still be some surprise additions from time to time (indeed, such was the case in the example image Adobe provided), but it should be less frequent. Adobe also says that results will be more precise and natural in the latest iteration.
Both Generative Upscale and Harmonize use Adobe’s generative AI credits, which it began enforcing with the new plans rolled out in May this year. Luckily, the newly improved Remove Tool does not use generative credits, so you can remove to your heart’s content. That’s a relief to hear, since it’s such a commonly used feature for Photoshop users.
Our DPREVIEW Tribute:
After nearly 25 years of operation, DPReview closed on 10 April 2023. This difficult decision was part of the annual operating plan review that parent company, Amazon, shared earlier this year.
Over the course of 25 years, DP Review built up a reputation as being one of the most informative places to go for information about that new camera or lens you’re after. DP Review began as an independent reviews site based in the UK in 1998, the brainchild of Philip and Joanna Askey, but it was eventually purchased by Amazon in 2007 and relocated over to Seattle in the USA in 2010.
Cheers DPReview – thanks for the great work and content that guided photographers, videographers and techno junkies the world over!